Window-shade fixture.



PATBNTED JAN. 21, 1908.

A. HOLMES'. WINDOW SHADE FIXTURE.

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ALEXANDER HOLMES, OF EUREKA, CALIFORNIA.

' WINDOW-SHADE FIXTURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .19.11.21, 190s.

Application led February 20. 1907. Serial No. 358,473.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER HOLMES, citizen of the United States,residingl at Eureka, county of Humboldt, State of California, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in VVindow-Shade Fixtures,and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, such as will enable others skilled in'the art to which itpertains to make and use the same, reference bein' had to theaccompanying li form a part of this specification.

My invention relates in general to window shades and more particularlyto shades the rollers of which are adjustable vertically with respect tothe windows.

It is frequently desirable that light should be admitted through theupper part of a window and excluded from the lower part thereof, or thatlight should be merely excluded from the window intermediate of its topand bottom. Various supporting means for window shade rollers haveheretofore been devised for vertically adjusting the position of a shaderoller relatively to the window for the purpose of admitting anyrequired amount of light through the window whether above or below theshade roller. In such shade Afixtures devised prior to my invention forraising and lowering spring actuated shade rollers it has beenlnecessary to provide vertically movable frames for supporting the shaderollers in addition to the usual supporting journals of the rollers.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a window shadeixturefor vertically adjusting the shade roller relatively to thewindow, which will be simple in construction, inexpensive in manufactureand efficient in use.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved clampingdevice for retaining a vertically adjustable window shade roller in anyadjusted position desired.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a verticallyadjustable window shade fixture which will require no supporting framein addition to a central shaft upon which the roller is rotatablymounted and between which and the roller the usual spring is interposed.

My invention may be generally described as comprising a supporting rodupon which a shade roller is rotatably mounted, a spring surrounding therod and connected at its opposite ends to the rod and to the roller,gravity pawls carried by one end of the roller, a block looselysurrounding one end of said rod, and having a notch in the top thereofwith which said pawls coperate, a rod depending from and fixed to saidblock by means of which an upward or downward pull may be exerted uponsaid rod and the rod thereby raised or lowered by the rotation thereofthrough the engagement of said gears with said racks, and an adjustableclutch through which said rod passes for retaining the same in anyadjusted position according to the desired heightof the shadev roller.

My invention will be more fully described hereinafter with reference tothe accompanying drawing in which the same is illustrated as embodied ina convenient and practical form, and in which Figure 1 is a frontelevational view of a window showing my invention applied thereto; Fig.2 an end elevational view of the roller removed from the Window casing;Fig'. 3 a sectional view on line 3 3 Fig. 7; Eig. 4'a sectional view online 4-4 Fig. 1; Fig. 5 an' enlarged elevational view of the rod clutch;Fig. 6 a sectional view on line -Fig 5 and Fig. 7 an enlargedelevational view of one end of the roller, a part thereof being shown insection.

Similar reference characters are used to designate similar parts in theseveral figures of the drawing.

Reference character A indicates a window frame of any ordinary or usualconstruction comprising vertical side frames A and A2.

B and B2 designate racks secured to the side frames of the casing by anysuitable fastening devices. The racks are preferably made of sheet metalbent as indicated in Fig. 4 so as to provide a central portion which issecured to the vertical side frames of the' window casing from which theracks extend inwardly from the inner edges thereof, and from whichflanges bf and b2 respectively extend inwardly from the front edges.

C designates a window shade secured upon a spring roller which may berotated to unwind or wind up the shade. A rod extends concentricallythrough the shade roller upon which the roller is rotatably supported;

O and C2 designate gears fixed upon the ends c and c2 of the rollersupporting rod, such gears adapted to engage the racks B land B2. Thegears may be fixed upon the l and at its other end with the innersurface of one end cap G of the roller.

d and (Z2 designate gravity pawls secured to the outer surface of theend cap G of the roller.

D indicates a block loosely surrounding the roller supporting rodadjacent the end cap G vof the roller, such block being provided with arecess d in the top thereof with which the pawls d and d2 cooperate toprevent the spring from rotating the roller with,

respect to its supporting rod.

A bracletuD is secured to the block D and is provided with an interiorlyscrew-threaded sleeve D2 in which is secured the upper end of a rod E bymeans of which an upward or downward pull is .exerted upon the rollersupporting rod. The raising or lowering rod E extends through a clampingdevice such as illustrated in detail in Figs. 5 and 6. The

`clamping device F comprises a leaf spring f which. bears upon one sideof the rod Erwhile a set screw F engages the opposite side of the rod E.The clamping device may be secured to the window casing at any desiredpoint by means of fastening devices .extending through a Hangej'.

The manner of applying my improvement to a window and the operationthereof are as follows: The'gears C and C2 are engaged with the bottomnotches inthe respective racks B and B2 and the shade .roller movedupwardly by rotating the same. The upper end of the raising and loweringrod E is then connected with the sleeve D2, such rod having been lfirstpassed through the clamping device F. When it is desired to raise theshade roller the clamp screw F is disengaged from the rod E whereuponeither anupward or downward pressure applied to the rod will exert anupward or downward pull upon the l lroller supporting rod through themedium of the block D. The pull exerted upon the roller supporting rodeffects an upward or downward movement of the shade roller through theengagement of the gears C and 'C2 with the respective racks B and. B2.

When the roller has been raised or lowered to the desired position theclamp screws F is engaged with the rod E thereby clamping the rodagainst the spring f. The spring f serves to prevent the weight of theshade roller from too rapidly lowering the roller when the clamp screwis disengaged. rIhe spring f/ might in fact be used to retain the shaderoller at the desired height through frictional contact with the rod Ewithout thek use of the clamp screw.

When the shade roller has been adjusted to the desired height in themanner described, the shade may be rolled upon or unrolled from theroller in the usual manner. The roller is locked against rotation by theengagement with either of the gravity pawls with the notch in theraising and lowering block D. v

From the foregoing description it will be observed that I have inventedan improved shade roller xture by means of which the shade may belocated at any "desired height with respect to the window and in whichno supporting frame for the shaderoller is required, the rod upon whichthe roller is rotatably mounted serving to adjustably support the rollerupon the window casing. It will be further observed that by providing.the

notch with which the gravity pawls coperate in the non-rotating block itis unnecessary to provide a plurality of notches' in the rotating rollersupportingrod. It will be further observed that in my improved shaderoller fixture the roller .is retained at any desired height by a simpleand efficient clamping device which prevents any `danger of the shaderoller falling from the weight thereof.

While I have described more or less precisely the details ofconstruction, Ido not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto,as I contemplate changes in form, the proportion of parts, and thesubstitution of equivalents, as circumstances may suggest or renderexpedient lwithout departing from the spirit of my invention. f

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure .by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination with a window shade` ward pull upon said blockwhereby said rod is rotated through the engagement of said gears withsaid racks, and the shade roller thereby raised or lowered.

2. The combination with a window shade rollen-of a rod around which saidroller is rotatably supported, a spring surrounding said rod within saidroller and connected at roller respectively, gravity pawls carried bysaid roller, gears fixed upon the ends of said rods, racks xed to thewindow casing, and engaged by said gears, a block loosely surroundingsaid rod and having a notch in the top thereof with which said pawlscoperate, and a raising and lowering rod depending from and fixed tosaid block by means of which the height of the shade is varied,

3. The combination with a window shade roller, of a rod around whichsaid roller is rotatably supported, a spring surrounding said rod withinsaid roller and connected at its opposite ends to said rod and to saidroller respectively, gravity pawls carried by said roller, gears fixedupon the ends of said rods, racks fixed to the window casing, andengaged by said gears, a block loosely vsurrounding said rod and havinga notch in the r top thereof with which saidpawls coperate,

a raising and lowering rod depending from and fixed to said block, andan adjustable clamp engaging said raising and lowering rod to retain theshade roller at the desired height.

4. The combination with a window shade roller, of a rod around whichsaid roller is rotatably supported, a spring surrounding said rod withinsaid roller and connected at its opposite ends to said rod and to saidroller respectively, gravity pawls carried by said roller, gears fixedupon the ends of said rods, racks hxed to the window casing, and engagedby said gears, a block loosely surrounding said rod and having a notchin the top thereof with which said pawls coperate, a raising andlowering rod depending from and secured to said block, an adjustable,clamp engaging said raising and lowering rod, said clamp comprising aspr-ing and a set screw between which said rod is frictionally locked.

ln testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence, of twowitnesses.

ALEXANDER HOLMES.

Witnesses:

GEO. L. WILKINSON, RUBYl V. NASH.

